Massachusetts has passed a law that will protect people and their pets when severe storms strike the area.

The new law will require cities and towns to create an emergency evacuation and shelter plan for pets and service animals.

“It’s just in time for hurricane season,” said Rob Halpin, director of communications for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Halpin said the law is needed. He said people do not always evacuate when they are in the path of a storm because they don’t want to leave their pets behind.

Pet owners who evacuate do so reluctantly and often never see their pets again.

“Many of these animals are never reunited with their owners,” Halpin said.

Richard Aguiar, director of Emergency Management and deputy of Special Services in Fall River, said there are already some emergency protocols in place for pets, and improvements are on the way.

“In Fall River, we’re pretty proactive when it comes to sheltering people and pets,” Aguiar said. “We do have things in place.”

When families lose their house or apartment due to fire, they and their pets are housed in pet-friendly motels like the Best Western.

In the case of a weather emergency, pets cannot go to the same shelter as their owners because other people in the shelter may have pet allergies.

Currently, if there is an evacuation, Aguiar said pets can be housed in local pet shelters. But Aguiar is working on a plan to improve arrangements and house pets and people in the same building, but in different rooms.

“Most people love their animals and want to take them with them,” Aguair said.

With so many new and large schools in the city, Aguiar said, there will be plenty of room to house humans and their furry friends in the event of a disaster.

Currently, the city has the option of using B.M.C. Durfee High School and seven other schools around the city as emergency shelters, including the Silvia School, Kuss Middle School, Spencer Borden, Talbot, Greene and Henry Lord.

MSPCA Director of Advocacy Kara Holmquist said the bill passed in just one legislative session, which validates just how important it is to protect animals and people during natural disasters.

“With the signing of this bill into law, citizens will never have to choose between their own safety and that of their pet or service animal,” Holmquist said.